The amount of data transferred between electronic devices has grown tremendously the last several years. Large amounts of audio, streaming video, text, and other types of data content are now regularly transferred among desktop and portable computers, media devices, handheld media devices, displays, storage devices, and other types of electronic devices. Power supply voltages and ground may be transferred with this data.
Power and data may be conveyed over cables that may include wire conductors, fiber optic cables, or some combination of these or other conductors. Cable assemblies may include a connector insert at each end of a cable, though other cable assemblies may be connected or tethered to an electronic device in a dedicated manner. The connector inserts may be inserted into receptacles in the communicating electronic devices.
It may be desirable that a connector insert not accidently disconnect from a connector receptacle during device operation. For example, during a large data transfer, if a connector insert disconnects from a connector receptacle, the transfer may become corrupted. This may require a transfer restart thereby costing a user time and may diminish the user's opinion of the electronic devices involved.
Unfortunately, these retention features may wear or mar one or more surfaces on a corresponding connector. That is, retention features on one surface may repeatedly engage a surface on a corresponding connector. This repeated engagement may diminish the appearance of the corresponding connector, and may eventually cause damage or reduced functionality to the corresponding connector and the device or cable that it is part of. This may be particularly undesirable where a connector insert on a cable may wear or mar a connector receptacle on a device. Retention features that wear or mar a connector receptacle on the electronic device may cause the electronic device to appear prematurely obsolete or dated and may diminish a user's enjoyment of the device.
Thus, what is needed are inserts, receptacles, and apparatus for connector systems that have retention features that wear or mar corresponding connectors to a reduced degree.